Updated

Updated · The Daily Hoosier · Nov 13

No. 9 Indiana Previews 8-1 USC Test as Curt Cignetti Addresses Quarterback Situation

Updated

Updated · The Daily Hoosier · Nov 13

No. 9 Indiana Previews 8-1 USC Test as Curt Cignetti Addresses Quarterback Situation

Q: With playoff dreams hanging in the balance, who will actually take the crucial snaps for the Hoosiers this Saturday?

Grant Wilson is expected to take the crucial snaps for Indiana against USC. Curt Cignetti kept the decision private publicly, even after saying Josh Hoover had been cleared to play and no longer appeared on the availability report. But multiple reports before kickoff indicated Indiana was set to start Wilson, the veteran backup who replaced Hoover in the second half against Minnesota and helped engineer the Hoosiers’ overtime win. That expectation fits the recent trajectory. Hoover had started all nine games, but he has been limited by a throwing-arm/shoulder issue since the Ohio State game and his production had dipped sharply. Wilson, by contrast, gave Indiana a spark against Minnesota, throwing for 156 yards and a touchdown in relief. Cignetti later said he had effectively settled on Wilson after that game. Hoover’s clearance means he should still be available, so this may not be a one-quarterback game if Indiana struggles or if Hoover is needed. But the strongest pregame evidence points to Wilson opening the game and handling the most important early possessions as Indiana tries to protect its playoff standing against a top-20 USC team.

3 articles · Updated · The Daily Hoosier · Nov 13

Curt Cignetti told Big Ten Network on Friday that Indiana’s quarterback situation and Saturday’s USC matchup were the central issues entering the game in Bloomington.
No. 9 Indiana carries an 8-1 record into the 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff, with No. 18 USC arriving at 7-2 for a ranked Big Ten showdown on CBS.
Dave Revsine, Dave Wannstedt and Gerry DiNardo questioned Cignetti in the BTN appearance, framing the discussion around how Indiana will handle quarterback decisions against USC.
The interview served as Indiana’s final public tune-up before one of its biggest tests of the season, with two ranked teams meeting in Bloomington.